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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Promise \Prom"ise\, verb (used without an object)
1. To give assurance by a promise, or binding declaration.
2. To afford hopes or expectation; to give ground to expect good; rarely, to give reason to expect evil.
Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion? I fear it, I promise you. --Shak.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Promise \Prom"ise\, adjective [F. promesse, L. promissum, fr. promittere, promissum, to put forth, foretell, promise; pro forward, for + mittere to send. See {Mission}. ]
1. In general, a declaration, written or verbal, made by one person to another, which binds the person who makes it to do, or to forbear to do, a specified act; a declaration which gives to the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a specified act.
For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. --Gal. iii. 18.
2. (Law) An engagement by one person to another, either in words or in writing, but properly not under seal, for the performance or nonperformance of some particular thing. The word promise is used to denote the mere engagement of a person, without regard to the consideration for it, or the corresponding duty of the party to whom it is made. --Chitty. Parsons. Burrill.
3. That which causes hope, expectation, or assurance; especially, that which affords expectation of future distinction; as, a youth of great promise. --Shak.
My native country was full of youthful promise. --W. Irving.
4. Bestowal, fulfillment, or grant of what is promised.
He . . . commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father. --Acts i. 4.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Promise \Prom"ise\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Promised}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Promising}.]
1. To engage to do, give, make, or to refrain from doing, giving, or making, or the like; to covenant; to engage; as, to promise a visit; to promise a cessation of hostilities; to promise the payment of money. ''To promise aid.'' --Shak.
2. To afford reason to expect; to cause hope or assurance of; as, the clouds promise rain. --Milton.
3. To make declaration of or give assurance of, as some benefit to be conferred; to pledge or engage to bestow; as, the proprietors promised large tracts of land; the city promised a reward.
{Promised land}. See {Land of promise}, under {Land}.
{To promise one's self}. (a) To resolve; to determine; to vow. (b) To be assured; to have strong confidence.
I dare promise myself you will attest the truth of all I have advanced. --Rambler.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
promise
noun
1: a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future
2: grounds for feeling hopeful about the future; "there is little or no promise that he will recover" [syn: {hope}]
verb
1: make a promise or commitment [syn: {assure}]
2: promise to undertake or give; "I promise you my best effort"
3: make a prediction about; tell in advance; "Call the outcome of an election" [syn: {predict}, {foretell}, {prognosticate}, {call}, {forebode}, {anticipate}]
4: give grounds for expectations; "The new results were promising"; "The results promised fame and glory"
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
199 Moby Thesaurus words for "promise": accede, accord, actuarial prediction, adumbration, afford hope, agree, agree to, agreement, apocalypse, arrangement, aspiration, assent, assumption, assurance, assure, assured faith, augur, augur well, augury, auspice, avouch, bargain, bargain for, be promising, bespeak, betoken, betokening, betokenment, bid fair, bid fair to, binding agreement, bond, capability, cartel, cheer, cheerful expectation, collective agreement, commitment, compact, confidence, consent, consortium, contract, convention, conviction, countersign, covenant, covenant of salt, deal, dependence, desire, dicker, do a deal, doomed hope, earnest, employment contract, engage, engagement, ensure, expectation, fair prospect, faith, fervent hope, foreboding, forecast, forecasting, foreshadow, foreshadowing, foreshowing, foresight, foretell, foretelling, foretoken, foretokening, formal agreement, give hope, give indication of, give prospect of, good cheer, good hope, great expectations, guarantee, guaranty, guesswork, have favorable odds, have good prospects, high hopes, hint, hint at, hold out hope, hold out promise, hope, hopeful prognosis, hopefulness, hopes, hoping, hoping against hope, imply, improbability, increase the chances, indicant, indicate, indication, inspire, inspire hope, inspirit, insure, ironclad agreement, justify hope, legal agreement, legal contract, likelihood, look like, make a deal, make a promise, make fair promise, make likely, make more likely, make probable, mutual agreement, oath, offer the expectation, omen, pact, paction, pass, pawn, pledge, plight, portent, potential, prayerful hope, prediction, prefiguration, prefigurement, prefiguring, preindication, premonitory shiver, premonitory sign, premonitory symptom, presage, presaging, presentiment, preshowing, presignifying, presumption, probability, probabilize, prognosis, prognostic, prognostication, prophecy, prophesying, prospect, prospects, prospectus, protocol, raise expectation, raise expectations, raise hope, reassure, reliance, sanguine expectation, security, seem likely, shadow, show a tendency, show signs of, sign, soothsay, speculation, stand fair to, statistical prediction, stipulate, stipulation, suggest, support, swear, token, tokening, transaction, troth, trust, type, understanding, undertake, undertaking, underwrite, union contract, valid contract, vaticination, vouch, vow, wage contract, warrant, warranty, well-grounded hope, word, word of honor
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